Published: July 28, 2007 11:43 pm            

Had enough with gangster athletes

The National Football League had gone to the dogs long before the latest allegations of Michael Vick’s gangster (proper spelling) activities became public. Over the past decade, both the NFL and NBA have degenerated to the point that millions of former fans no longer care to watch punks with bad attitudes play ball.

It’s a shame. When I was growing up, my friends and I looked up to guys like Dr. J., Isaiah Thomas, and Roger Staubach. Whether it was two-on-two hoops or no-pads tackle, we mimicked their moves and pretended to be them in thousands of imaginary championship games in the backyard. “Inbound pass to Dr. J. with three seconds on the board…Isaiah drives and dishes to Joe Dumars for the three ... Staubach throws up a Hail Mary at the buzzer…” We loved those guys. They were class acts who demonstrated sportsmanship, loved the game, and appreciated their fans.

The fact that kids imitate stars is the reason guys like Michael Vick in the NFL or Allen Iverson in the NBA have no place in professional sports. Anyone who’s followed their careers can see that they’re little more than criminals with million-dollar contracts. If they weren’t phenomenal athletes, they’d be behind bars.

When Allen Iverson was one of the most highly recruited high school point guards in the country, he beat a paraplegic boy nearly to death with a folding metal chair. His defense testified that Iverson was destined to become an NBA all-star and that he should be given another chance. He got that chance, became an all-star, and has been in trouble with the law his entire career.

Rather than using their athletic gifts as an opportunity to better themselves and their communities, many ball players forfeit their big break trying to maintain some twisted notion of street credibility or a bad guy persona. It shows in their attitudes toward their teammates, their coaches, and their fans. They act as if the world owes them big time just because they can throw a ball.

The last major league baseball game I saw in person ended with a spectacular catch at the right field wall. The crowd went wild and hundreds of kids on the baseline leaned out calling the player’s name begging for a high five or a handshake. But the arrogant prima donna just jogged past them five feet away. He didn’t toss them the ball, smile, or even notice that they existed. He didn’t care about those kids; all he cared about was himself. I haven’t been back.

But while I’m disgusted with the behavior of today’s gangster athletes, I’m not really surprised by it. They’re just being themselves. The people who really deserve contempt are the coaches and team owners who knowingly recruit players with criminal records and attitudes to match.

It’s the rich guys in suits who’ve allowed the sports page to read like the police blog. Just like record label executives who market albums glorifying the gangster lifestyle in pursuit of platinum, many coaches ignore the destructive behavior of their players in hopes of a championship. The players aren’t the only ones setting a bad example for today’s children.

If the only thing that matters in pro sports is the almighty dollar, I’ll take mine elsewhere.



Craig Ziemba is a military pilot who lives in Meridian. His book, Give War a Chance, is available at Meridian area Bible Bookstores.

        

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